


Hollowed Out

by PaleAutumn



Category: Bleach
Genre: Aftermath of Torture, Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Betrayal, Blood, Cannibalism, Don't copy to another site, Established Relationship, Fluff, Gore, Graphic Description, M/M, in the beginning only, mentions of deprivation, mentions of torture, no one is allowed to kink shame me ssssssh, so much of it, technically
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-07-19
Updated: 2019-07-19
Packaged: 2020-07-08 22:29:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,171
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/19877113
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PaleAutumn/pseuds/PaleAutumn
Summary: With all the chaos that happened in Hueco Mundo, Ichigo forgot a lot of things. One of them was his hollow, chained in the prisons of Las Noches.





	Hollowed Out

**Author's Note:**

> ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯ Cannibalism is great and I love it and now you're all going to read this. <33 love ya'll.

Ichigo was leaning against his boyfriend’s arm with his eyes closed and one of Ogihci’s hands in his own. He held it in his gently, brushing over it with his thumb mindlessly. If he could name the best thing in the world, it would be this moment. Any moment with him, really. He wished it could last forever, but there was something he had to do before he could fully enjoy the moment. Opening his eyes, Ichigo continued to hold Ogihci’s hand and just shifted closer, leaving a light kiss on his cheek. He really didn’t want to move. Ogihci had his eyes shut, shifting closer to increase their contact.

“Don’t you have to go soon?” he mumbled, pulling away from him. Ichigo resisted the urge to bring him back. However, he understood the move, maybe more than Ogihci did. It was his friend that was in danger and it was him who went against the Soul Society once again, not his hollow. Sighing, he nodded. As much as he didn’t want to go rushing into enemy territory again, he had to. 

“Are you planning on staying back here?” Ichigo got up from his bed when his boyfriend did, shaking off the desire to stay where he was. “Though, I plan on beating everyone there and taking Inoue back quickly.”

Ogihci shrugged. It’d be more difficult for him to go, especially when he refused to go back into Ichigo’s body, but he could very easily handle himself. He had doubts that it would be as easy or as fast as Ichigo made it out to be, however, he didn’t say anything. Ogihci was sure that he knew why Ichigo was putting on a confident outlook, so he held back his comment. “Do you want me to go?”

Ichigo remained silent. It would be nice to have his hollow back him up, even if his friends may think differently. The issue was the other hollows in Hueco Mundo, if it was true that they made their home there. Ogihci wouldn’t have a difficult time handling them, sure, though it was still a concern by the sheer number that existed. Ichigo recalled the promise they made and closed his eyes, not wanting to confront the idea that he was going to die. No, he definitely wouldn’t die that easily. He’s grown so much stronger now, especially with access to his hollow mask.

“I … I’m not really sure. It’s up to you, really.”

“Since this is Hueco Mundo, there is going to be an abundance of other hollows, so it’ll probably be fun to have a feast for once.” Ogihci pondered on the idea. There was going to be more excitement and more potential if he went, although, it came at the possibility that he could lose his life. A small smirk tugged at his lip. “Perhaps I will join you. I’m not keen on staying here in Karakura alone. Are your friends going to allow this?”

“I’ll talk to them, don’t worry,” Ichigo grabbed his shinigami badge and put it in his pocket, ready to make his way over to Urahara’s Shop, “Besides, it’s not like they’re going to stop you.”

“I don’t actively look to get into arguments with your friends, you know.”

“I know. My life would be a lot harder if you did.”

Ogihci grinned, following Ichigo downstairs. 

“You don’t need any help doing that.”

* * *

“Intruders have entered Hueco Mundo, Aizen-sama. It appears to be Ichigo Kurosaki and his group.”

“Oh? So he came to save his friend …” Aizen mused, never having any doubts about that. If he learned anything about Ichigo, it was that he had a chivalrous heart. Easy to manipulate.

“He will come to Las Noches in due time and my army will take care of him. I am, however, more interested in another presence,” he said, a smile appearing on his face, “Call in Gin and Tousen. Perhaps it is time to show them the result of one of my most … interesting experiments.”

“Of course, Aizen-sama.”

* * *

Ichigo was running through Hueco Mundo as fast as he could after he recovered from his devastating fight with Ulquiorra. Right now, he couldn’t think about what had happened. All he knew was that his hollows powers went wild and because of it, he managed to defeat Ulquiorra at the cost of Uryu and his stability. He’ll have to think of it later in lieu of other news.

He felt the captains of Soul Society. He didn’t know what they were here for, but he had a pretty good idea, considering the fact that Aizen left for Karakura Town. He’s been in Hueco Mundo for too long … or has it been too long? He didn’t know. Not anymore. The Soul Society’s presence alone was cause for concern over what had been happening outside of this realm.

But as he was about to meet up with some members from the Gotei 13, he felt his soul stir. At first, he thought it was just a trick of the mind, but it kept happening. It was like a candle flickering on and on and on … It was bugging him just enough for him to stop.

Suddenly, he remembered a potential cause of the feeling so deep in him … Ogihci. Ichigo skidded to a stop, confusing Unohana, the captain leading him toward the way back to Karakura.

“Is something the matter, Kurosaki?”

“Just wait, wait …” Frantic thoughts raced throughout his mind, none of them good. After what happened in his final battle, he reasonably assumed that his hollow returned to the inner world, especially since his hollow powers were the ones that went rampant. It didn’t occur to him that it could have been remotely done, yet he knew that his power wasn’t locked away from him while Ogihci was away. Nothing in him responded. “Shit, I can’t go back now. I’m sorry, but I have to –“

“Kurosaki! Calm down. You are in no state to head back into Las Noches or roam around this area, even if they’re mobilizing and heading over to the World of the Living.”

“No, no, you don’t understand. I need to go, I …” Before the Captain could even stop him, Ichigo flash stepped the way they came, headfirst into the impending fortress. The place was huge, so he didn’t have hope of searching it physically. Other options were practically impossible for him. He never mastered, let alone learned, spiritual energy sensing. The only way he could ever accomplish that was if the spiritual energy was strong and near enough to be almost impossible to ignore. Despite his clearly disheveled appearance, no Arrancar bothered him, however that wasn’t in the forefront of his mind. Recklessly, desperately hoping for some sort of response, Ichigo gathered all of his reishi and released it. Unlike him, Ogihci had experience sensing these kinds of things, so he’d be able to detect it.

Almost instantly, his surge in spiritual energy was met with another. Powerful, frenzied, familiar … Ichigo immediately began running toward it, not caring about anything else. His boyfriend was here. His boyfriend was waiting for him somewhere. The white walls and the rubble around him were blurs. Las Noches was a labyrinth to him, so he wasn’t entirely aware of what was what and how it was divided. It didn’t occur to him that he was near the prisoners’ area until he stood before the door to one of the cells. Unbelieving at first, he remained motionless. Was Shiro really in there? Had Aizen really been able to capture his hollow?

Yet the weakening spiritual energy told him otherwise. Swallowing the lump in his throat, Ichigo pushed open the door, terrified of what he might see inside.

One glimpse told him that fear was well placed. 

The room was dark, reflecting the overall atmosphere of the entire world. Its singular window did nothing to illuminate the area, although the occupant was clearly visible. Chains rattled when Ichigo stepped forward. Tremors racked his body. He couldn't take his eyes off of Ogihci. 

"Sh … Shiro?" Ichigo's voice was barely audible even in complete silence. Receiving no response, he stepped forward, his hand slowly extending to help his hollow. A loud boom reverberated throughout the room as the links holding the chains down to the wall were pushed to their limit in that moment. The suddenness made Ichigo flash step back, his throat constricting. Cracks appeared at the base of the wall, threatening to tumble at any movement.

“Wait, wait, let me help you! Just hold still, we don’t want to ale –“

“Get away from me!” Ogihci shouted, tearing away the binds again, his reiatsu engulfing the entire room and choking the only other occupant. “Get away … Ichigo, listen to me for this once. Go.”

“I’m not leaving you here.” He stood firm, refusing to leave his boyfriend here in this horrendous place. He didn’t fully understand what got him so riled up. It didn’t help that he wouldn’t look up from the ground to him. “Look, maybe you can just return back to the inner world for now.”

“You don’t get it.” Ogihci’s voice came out rough and deep. Hostile reactions such as these contrasted heavily with the reactions he’s grown used to from him. Yet he trusted him enough to not draw closer, but loved him enough to not leave him all chained. He must hate it.

“I’m starved right now. I need some sort of sustenance … But all the hollows around here avoid this place.” His voice grew quiet. Shutting his eyes, he took deep breaths and ignored the shinigami’s presence as best he could. “Ichi, you know full well why you need to go.”

The tenseness in his body was unmistakable at those words. Yes, he knew exactly what that meant. Because of that, though, how could he leave him in good conscious? It hurt. Grinding his teeth, Ichigo looked outside to the choking darkness and then back to the door he came from. Aizen knew exactly what he was doing.

“Maybe … maybe I can go find a hollow for you to eat, Shi.”

“You don’t have time.”

“I’m not leaving you here!”

“Stop acting like you can save everyone!”

Those sharp words pierced through his heart, enough to flinch back at their impact. “But I have to save you …” He murmured, half lidded eyes directed at the ground. There was no way he was leaving his boyfriend, his world, behind to rot. But would he risk everything? His mind was like the war just outside the palace. Responding to his tumultuous thoughts, his reishi began showing their colors. Little bursts here and there as he kept fighting with himself. The light of his life or the lives of those in Karakura, his hometown.

“Ichigo …!”

The distorted voice reached deaf ears. It became hard to breathe. How could he choose? This was it. His reishi leaked through almost entirely now. In the last second, he made out the rattling of metal and the sound of stone hitting the ground. In the last second, he caught his hollow’s face. In the last second, he realized his mistake. Preparing himself for impact, he brought his arms in front of him, his sword at the ready. Narrowing his eyes, he charged his getsuga, swarming the room in that dense black and red power. A hand grabbed the thin blade, choking off the stream of power. It ended up exploding without much focus, leaving the both of them relatively unscathed. Not that it mattered. The dilated eyes he found when he stared into the one he loved told him all he needed.

He couldn’t stop a ferocious and starved animal.

Ogihci growled, charging forward after being blown back from the explosion, using the ground as leverage to propel himself up slightly, landing a harsh kick at the liver area. Bounding back with a flip, he watched as Ichigo fell from the pain. Adrenaline pushed the hollow’s strength and speed to another level. He watched him charge a cero from below. Unable to respond in time, Ichigo simply sat up and brought his arms into an X-formation. Of course, it meant nothing. Without any sort of protection, the cero sent him flying back down to the ground but with burns to show for it. Smoke trailed upward from his body. The heat quickly faded, but the pain didn’t. To hold him down, Ogihci’s knees pressed onto the orange-haired Shinigami. The burns made his skin sensitive, so he had to clench his jaw tight to prevent any noises. Shirosaki’s lips curled back, showing off his teeth. Breathing was impossible at this point.

“Shiro, listen to me! Sense for other sources!”

Nothing happened. Instead, his hollow only bent down, his teeth drawing closer to the neck. Ichigo let out a loud whimper, unable to stop the shaking possessing his entire body. No, this can’t happen. Not now. Not when there were other important things to do.

“Shi, please …!” His throat choked close. Widened eyes watched Ogihci closely, praying to whatever was listening. “Y-you have to stop. You know who I am!” He hoped that their relationship would bring something back. It had to, didn’t it? After everything they had been through?

He felt a tongue run alongside his neck up to his jaw. That action alone dashed all of his hopes. There was no recognition in the hollow’s being.

Pain took over his thoughts. Pain so terrible it made the tears fall and the screams rip his throat apart. Pain so terrible his body convulsed with enough strength to knock off one of the knees pinning him down. It violently gripped the ruthless animal’s back, fisting the shihakusho in his hand, pulling weakly. Sharp teeth ground deeper into the flesh, forcing him to let go. It was as if his body became hypersensitive. He could feel the blood pool forming underneath him, wetting and staining all of his clothes. Rivulets of the substance traveled over his skin, trailing over his chest. It tickled even through the immense agony. The screaming never stopped.

“Sh-Shiro!” His hand dropped slightly, fingertips pressing harshly onto the cannibal’s neck. He tried pushing his head away from his neck. “Stop, stop … I – I love you, so … it’s me, Shi --!” His words got cut out with more screams as Ogihci tore himself away from it. A chunk of flesh was dangling from his mouth before it disappeared into it as he swallowed it. Thinking it would satiate his hollow, Ichigo took rapid short breaths, trying his best to recover from the shock. His vision was blurring. Closing his eyes, he felt the droplets of blood running down the lethal wound and the tightness in his chest. Shaking hands grasped at Ogihci’s arm, squeezing it to tell him to let go. He couldn’t talk. All that came out were broken sobs. When a cold hand grasped his own, the tiniest formation of a smile revealed itself before disappearing into another fearful look as Ichigo opened his eyes.

Instead of the affectionate stare he usually gets when this happens, he was met with a distracted one, evident in the glazed golden eyes. It was still focused on the meat on his bones. The scene frightened him. His heart pounded. It was only death here.

“Y-you promised to do this when there was … when there was no other way. Shi, don’t.” Were his words even coherent to his boyfriend anymore? “Don’t … don’t betray me now.” Despite it all, the human language could never make sense to a beast.

Darting out, Ogihci’s blue tongue marked another place to bite with a lick, this time on his forearm. His teeth were stained red, completely dirtied by the raw flesh he just consumed. In bliss, his red reiatsu began to collide with Ichigo’s. Due to the natural thinness of the arm, the hollow’s teeth scraped around to find some give. Muscles strained as the Shinigami tried pulling back his arm, yet the being’s strong hold held it firm.

Breath hitching once the teeth began their descent shut once they found a proper place to bite, Ichigo wanted nothing more than to cry. Wanted nothing more than to wish for another less painful death, especially by someone who didn’t come to mean the world to him. By an enemy.

Teeth finally tore apart the limb, giving another scream. At this point, the blood had dried on his body. His neck pulsed harshly as it attempted to gush out, unable to because of the clot that was beginning to form. Unlike the relative tameness on his neck, his arm started spurting out the red liquid profusely. Frightened sobs and screams came from Ichigo. The aggressive blood stream splattered all over the pure white expanse of skin of his hollow. The sight alone made him want to throw up. What scared him more than anything was that nothing was stopping. It kept on splattering everywhere, painting the entire floor red. There was so much it began to land on Ichigo as well.

“Sh – Shi! No, no, no, help … help me! Shi, god, I love you, god …” His entire body wouldn’t respond to him. The only thing it would do was shake. “I –I …” Their promise meant nothing now.

Ignorant to the trauma, Ogihci began looking for another spot to bite. His heart rate only rose, drowning out everything else. He was dizzy. He couldn’t see. Everything hurt. Seeing Shiro hurt. His boyfriend. The source for his pain.

The reason for his death.

With one last choked and shaky breath, Ichigo felt another sharp pain as lips neared his, taking his soul. Then he saw nothing but black.

* * *

Time was irrelevant in Hueco Mundo. He didn’t know how long it had been going. How long he had been devouring the body beneath him. What he did know was that his hunger was finally being taken care of, letting him calm down from his desperation. The first thing he registered was red. Blood. Then his eyes turned up.

The second thing he registered was orange. He widened his eyes, reaching forward to run a hand over Ichigo’s cheek. Slowly, it went down at the meeting point of the jaw and neck. He didn’t breathe. He didn’t move. Fingertips pressed lightly against the pulse point. Nothing.

“Shit … Ichigo …” Ogihci breathed out, raising his upper body up. There was a big chunk taken out of his neck. It was outlined by teeth markings, clearly from him. “I’m sorry. This wasn’t supposed to happen.”

Closing his eyes, he respectfully gave Ichigo a kiss to the forehead before placing him back down. Sighing, he got up, taking one last look at his ex-boyfriend before leaving. He broke his promise to him and though it wasn’t entirely his fault, he felt compelled to pay him back. It wasn’t right for Ichigo to die without having anything given to him in return.

Hoping there was still time left, he rushed over to Karakura Town.

He’ll finish what he couldn’t. For him.


End file.
